Abstract
Osteoarthritis (OA) is a chronic degenerative joint disease where the main characteristics include cartilage degeneration and synovial membrane inflammation. These changes in the knee joint eventually dampen the function of the joint and restrict joint movement, which eventually leads to a stage where total joint replacement is the only treatment option. While much is still unknown about the pathogenesis and progression mechanism of OA, joint fibrosis can be a critical issue for better understanding this disease. Synovial fibrosis and the generation of fibrocartilage are the two main fibrosis-related characteristics that can be found in OA. However, these two processes remain mostly misunderstood. In this review, we focus on the fibrosis process in OA, especially in the cartilage and the synovium tissue, which are the main tissues involved in OA.
Highlights
Articular cartilage is mainly composed of extracellular matrix (ECM) secreted by embedded chondrocytes, and only a small percentage of chondrocytes exist within the cartilage tissue [12]
The composition of secreted ECM proteins by chondrocytes is altered in response to environmental changes within the joint, and the quality of cartilage is maintained by a balance of catabolic and anabolic processes [41]
We focused on the two fibrosis processes that are related to the key characteristics of OA: (1) fibrosis induced by chondrocyte de-differentiation and (2) synovial fibrosis in synovitis
Summary
Osteoarthritis (OA) is a common joint disease where the primary risk factors include traumatic joint injury or the mechanical disruption of joint tissues due to accumulated external forces. Fibrosis occurs in the articular joint during the progression of OA and plays a critical role in OA pathogenesis and progression as well as cartilage destruction [3]. The cartilage defect recovers with fibrocartilage-like tissue that lacks its original function and even worsens the symptoms of OA [7]. This process occurs in the cells (e.g., primary chondrocytes, mesenchymal stem cells) that are applied for OA therapy [8].
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